Land Sinking: After Joshimath, Karnprayag, cracks appear in Uttarakhand`s Chamba town

Uttarakhand: Amid the land subsidence tragedy in Joshimath, cracks have also appeared on the houses and buildings in Chamba town of Uttarkhand's Tehri district. Earlier on Tuesday, cracks appeared at around 50 houses and various minor landslides at Bahuguna Nagar of Karnprayag.  Landslides are happening in the villages adjacent to Tehri lake and cracks have increased in the houses above and near the Chamba Tunnel, putting over a half dozen families in danger, informed local people. Under the All-Weather Project, a 440-meter-long tunnel has been constructed in Chamba and after the construction of the tunnel, cracks started appearing in the houses of Chamba Main Market. The sinking holy town of Joshimath is facing land subsidence resulting in houses and establishments developing cracks. Panic has gripped the locals as cracks have appeared in 723 buildings forcing 131 families to leave their homes. 

"The cracks started appearing since the construction of the tunnel began. Several surveys took place but no action was taken. We had tenants living here but we made them vacate in 2019. We demand that the govt takes measures here just like they did for Joshimath," said Deepak Tiwari, a local affected by the subsidence. 

"Our home was affected when the tunnel was only 3 to 4 meters. The sewerage system has also stopped working since then. We renovated the house and bathrooms but the new construction is also facing cracks and subsidence," said another local Dinesh Prasad Kotiyal whose house is near the Chamba Tunnel. Another local affected in the Badoni area said, "A huge calamity is looming but we don`t understand what the authorities are waiting for."

Meanwhile, the Uttarkhand government on Wednesday announced Rs 1.5 lakh interim relief to affected families who have been shifted to safer locations. "Each family will be given immediate interim assistance of Rs 1.50 lakh. Apart from the two hotel buildings which are marked `unsafe`, no other building is being demolished. Till now, cracks have been noticed in 723 buildings," the Secretary to Uttarakhand chief minister R Meenakshi Sundaram said to ANI.

Locals in Joshimath on Tuesday protested against National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) demanding its withdrawal from the state. District officials have asked people to vacate homes and other establishments that have been identified for demolition which have developed cracks and have been identified as "unsafe". 

These buildings have all been marked with red `X` marks. Two hotels- Hotel Malari Inn and Hotel Mount View- have been marked for demolition and the process of dismantling that was supposed to begin on Tuesday evening was stopped after protests by the owner of Malari Inn and some locals. The protestors demanded compensation as per the rates listed under the Badrinath Dham redevelopment master plan.

(With ANI inputs)